Wanting Safety
by dreamsweetmydear
Summary: Two months after what happened in L.A., Abby's sleepless nights are really taking a toll on her, but she's sure Jethro the dog will make it all better. Now if only she could get McGee to cooperate...
1. Chapter One

**From the author's desk:** This is the other Help Haiti fic I had to write. This one is for **vegas **at the NFA Forums who won my het story auction. She gave me the following prompt:

_Abby moves into a new apartment. this one allows pets and she wants to take Jethro the dog to live with her. And Tim won't even think about it. He has formed a bond for Jethro and come to love him. So a little angst, a little drama. I leave the ending completely up to you._

Though this turned into more of a McAbby close friendship story, there is a little romance in there if you squint.

Many thanks to **Enthusiastic Fish** for being a sounding board for me on this one and also for beta-ing it for me, as this is one story that kept giving me trouble.

This is a two-shot, and the second chapter will be posted tomorrow.

I hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** _NCIS_ and its characters are the property of Donald P. Bellisario and his associates. This was written strictly for entertainment purposes only.

**Warning!:** Spoilers for _NCIS: LA_ episode 1.9 "Random on Purpose." If this bothers you, then please turn back now.

0

_**Wanting Safety**__  
by dreamsweetmydear  
_

0

_"The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety." - Henry Louis Mencken_

0

**Chapter One**

_She's having this dream again._

_Once again, she is stuck in that god-awful chair, the straight back and hard wood keeping her stiff, while the drug coursing through her veins keeps her immobile._

_The creep is talking to her, and again she isn't sure how to react when he tells her he was saving the spot of "woman in her late 20's" for her._

_It feels like that detail about her age is his one mistake._

_He's facing her now, the axe lifted in his hands. Time slows down as he raises the heavy blade, and prepares to bring it down in a sharp arc._

_Her heart is beating fast, and her eyes are wide. Where is the shower of breaking glass from the skylight? The volley of bullets from blazing guns? Callen and Sam?_

_The light catches the curve of the axe-blade as her killer swings down…_

_And then all is black._

Abby sat up screaming in her coffin, drenched in a cold sweat. She scrambled out of the wooden deathbed, and collapsed on the floor in a violently shaking heap.

She wrapped her arms around herself, rocking back and forth gently.

"It was only a dream," she cried brokenly. "Only a dream. I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay…"

Once she was calm again, she got to her feet, and made her way through her apartment to the kitchen, turning on light after light as she went. Taking the pitcher of filtered water out of the fridge, Abby decided to forego a glass and tipped her head back, pouring the cold liquid into her mouth with careful precision.

She sat down heavily at her kitchen table, and lay her head down on the wooden surface.

This couldn't keep going on. Something had to give, _dammit_, because she couldn't keep losing sleep like this. She couldn't keep waking up in the middle of the night like this, screaming and scared out of her mind, that creep's gleeful smile as he swung the axe down following her into wakefulness.

A small voice whispered to her from the back of her mind. "Talk to someone," it murmured gently.

Abby vehemently squashed the voice. She wasn't crazy! She did not need to go and…_talk to someone._

No, all she needed was…was someone to keep her company. Like a roommate.

No wait, that didn't work out so well the last time she tried it. (Years and years ago. In college. Oh, and that year before she joined NCIS. There just weren't enough open-minded people in the world anymore! Really, what was so wrong about sleeping in a coffin, and having a collection of voodoo dolls? At least she wasn't like some of these kids nowadays who thought being a Goth was all about being depressed. And really, there was nothing wrong with having an extensive collection of chains, collars, whips, and handcuffs. McGee certainly seemed to appreciate them when they were dating all those years ago…)

Her rambling thoughts ground to a sudden halt.

_McGee._

No wait, not McGee.

_Jethro._ Sweet, furry, bouncy Jethro. Jethro who used to be a drug detecting dog for the Marine Corps. Jethro who was always happy to see her, and always put a smile on her face. (Not that McGee didn't do that most of the time too, but those were the keywords: most of the time.)

Jethro would be the perfect solution to this problem of bad dreams and sleepless nights. (She would not acknowledge them as nightmares, night terrors, night-whatevers.) He would be the ideal roommate! She'd have someone to come home to every night, and someone to make her feel safe when she had bad dreams. Oooh, and Jethro wouldn't mind her voodoo dolls, or her coffin, or her collection of whips and chains, or the black paint on her walls.

And since the new landlord had come in, the ban on pets had been lifted, meaning Jethro would have plenty of doggie friends to play with! She was even friends with some of her dog-owning neighbors, so it would be easy to arrange a play date for her best canine friend in the whole world.

And of course, McGee wouldn't mind. He might resist a bit in the beginning, but he always came around, and in the end was happy to do what she wanted.

Yeah, the more Abby considered it, this was sounding like a better and better idea by the second.

Her mind made up, Abby decided to talk to McGee about adopting Jethro from him first thing in the morning.

Feeling much better than she had in quite awhile, Abby took a look at the microwave clock. It was too late to attempt to go back to bed, even if she was still tired. Her alarm would be ringing in an hour and a half anyway, and half that time would be taken falling back to sleep.

Hmm. What to do?

Well, she could always just go in early. And why not pick up breakfast for Timmy when she went to pick up her own? She was going to ask him if she could adopt his dog after all. The least she could do is buy him breakfast!

With a plan in mind, Abby set about getting ready for the day.

0  
0

Abby was well into the swing of her morning lab routine of letting her machines warm up when Tim came down to see her, carrying the note she'd left on his desk when she came in. A new album played in her stereo, industrial beats pulsing out through her speakers.

"Morning Abs," he greeted her with a smile. "Got your note."

"Timmy!" she squealed, tackling him in a hug. "C'mon. I've got breakfast set up in my office!"

She linked her arm with his, and led him through the pneumatic doors to her inner office, where a chair had been pulled up on either side of her desk's free space, a take-out box set at each place. Next to Tim's box was a grande double Americano (one of his preferred coffee drinks, if she remembered correctly), while next to her own breakfast she'd put down her customary morning Caff-Pow!.

"Sit, sit, sit," Abby urged Tim, gently pushing him toward his seat. He gave her a grin and a shake of his head in response as he sat down.

"Thanks for this, Abby. But what's the special occasion?" She watched as he opened his breakfast box, revealing an omelette with a side of country fried potatoes and two sausage links. "Wow! I haven't had a breakfast this good in a long time. Puts the muffin I grabbed on my way out the door this morning to serious shame," he complimented as he opened up the packet of plastic cutlery that she'd placed next to his coffee before cutting into the omelette.

"Oh don't mention it, McGee! It's been awhile since we've had breakfast together, so I thought I'd treat you today," Abby said as she dug into her own box of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and a biscuit.

They spent most of breakfast talking about the latest office news, how their weekends went, and other small talk.

About halfway through the meal, Abby decided it was a good time to steer the conversation toward the main reason she wanted to see McGee.

"So how's Jethro?" Abby began, taking a bite of her biscuit.

Tim swallowed the potato he'd been chewing before answering. "Oh, he's doing really well. He's extremely happy since I found a dog park not too far from our new place. I took him there yesterday evening. Seems like he made a few new friends too!"

Abby smiled at the content expression on Tim's face. "That's great!"

She busied herself by cutting into her bacon, and continued talking. "My new landlord lifted the ban on pets in our building. So I'm thinking of getting a dog."

Tim grinned at her. "Really? That's great news, Abby! What kind of dog are you thinking of getting?"

Abby suddenly found it very difficult to swallow the bacon in her mouth. That pesky voice in the back of her mind was warning her against doing this. "How can you ask this of Tim? It wouldn't be right. He loves Jethro!"

Again she quashed the little voice. She'd thought about this! This was the best solution for her problem. And she loved Jethro too! Sometimes she thought she loved him more than Tim did. She would take good care of him!

"Abby?"

Abby refocused on Tim, noting the concerned expression on his face. "You okay? You spaced out there."

Abby nodded, and smiled again. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"So what dog are you thinking of getting?" he asked her again. "I think you were going to answer, but then you zoned out."

"Actually…" Abby paused, and swallowed once more. "Actually, that's kind of why I asked you to have breakfast with me. The dog I want to adopt is this amazing German Shepherd. He's the sweetest thing! And he was a military drug dog, perfect considering I work for NCIS, right? Man, I fell in love with that doggie face the first time I saw him. Such a cute thing—"

She paused mid-rant, and focused on Tim's face. There was an amused but knowing smile on his lips, and it looked like he was trying to hold back a chuckle.

"Well, yeah. Jethro is really a great dog. But seriously! What dog are you planning to get? Another German shepherd? Or how about a golden retriever?"

Abby frowned. "Tim, I'm not joking. I really do want to adopt Jethro from you."

Tim blinked at her in surprise. "But I didn't put Jethro up for adoption, Abby. If I was going to, you know you'd be the first to know."

Abby shook her head. He wasn't getting it! She had to try and convince him.

"But don't you think Jethro would be happier with me? I mean, you've got crazy hours as an agent, Tim. And what are you going to do if, God forbid, something happens to you out in the field and you can't take care of him? He'd be safer with me! And I love Jethro, maybe even more than you do!"

"What? Abby, where is all this coming from? Yes, Jethro and I got off to a rocky start, but I love my dog! I'm not just going to give Jethro to you because you want him and you think he'd be better off with you! And anyway, you keep just as many weird hours as I do!" Tim argued back to her, standing up from his seat and throwing his napkin and utensils down next to his breakfast box. Abby winced inwardly at the incredulity on his face and in his voice.

Abby stood up then too, frustrated with him. Why couldn't he understand that this was better for both him and Jethro? ("And you," the little voice at the back of her mind said. "Shut it!" Abby yelled back.) She would take better care of Jethro! (And he would help her with her night-time problem.)

"McGee, it's not like you wanted him in the first place anyway! If you forgot, you shot that poor dog when you first met instead!"

Wide, disbelieving green eyes stared back at her. "You _forced_ me to take him! And Jethro and I managed to work out our issues! You can't have him back just because you want him, Abby! That's not how it works!"

Before Abby could say anything else, Tim spun on his heel and was out the door.

Even with the noise of her stereo and her machines, Abby couldn't help but feel that her lab had suddenly had all the sound and all the feeling sucked out of it.


	2. Chapter Two

**Note:** The conclusion. I hope it satisfies. Beware-this chapter is LONG.

**Chapter Two**

Shortly after Tim left the lab, the team was called out to Quantico to investigate the brutal murders of a Navy lieutenant with high security clearance and her husband.

As Tim shot pictures of the scene, his mind was instead focused on the argument that took place in Abby's lab that morning.

What had gotten into her? Abby had been disappointed that she couldn't keep Jethro two years ago, but she had also been the one to see that Jethro was a good dog for him, even if he still didn't agree with the way she gave him his pet.

But he couldn't deny that when not hopped up on drugs, Jethro really was a wonderful dog. Tim would be the first to admit that he was apprehensive at first taking Jethro in, fearful even. But after spending some time with the German shepherd, he had grown to love and care for him.

To have Abby throw his initial aversion to taking Jethro in back in his face this morning sent Tim for a proverbial spin. Where had her sudden anxiety for the welfare of their favorite canine come from?

Maybe he should have calmed her down and tried talking to her, Tim decided on the drive back to NCIS. He did feel a little guilty for yelling at her like that this morning, even if he did feel somewhat justified.

Tim tipped his head back against the cabin wall of the truck. Was it so wrong that Abby wanted to take care of Jethro?

Could she actually do a better job than he could? Well, that was a given. Abby had always prided herself on loving the dog twice as much as he did. He'd always told her that the relationship between him and his dog was just different. And when Abby came over for a playdate with him, she usually spoiled him rotten, leaving Tim to argue back to his dog that no, he could not have another doggie treat because he'd already had four or five in the last couple of hours, courtesy of Abby.

(This resulted in drooping ears and his tail between his legs. But Jethro usually came around when Tim held up his leash and his favorite blue rubber ball.)

Sighing, Tim shook his head. He felt like he was going in circles.

What were the bare bones of the situation?

Abby wanted his dog.

Tim did not want to give Abby his dog.

Abby had accused him of not being able to take good enough care of Jethro.

Tim denied every word.

Abby had bribed him with food this morning.

Tim wasn't sure what to make of this underhanded but delicious tactic.

Abby had brought up Tim's initial reluctance to take Jethro in, also including the fact that Tim had shot Jethro at the time.

Tim pointed out that yes, he and Jethro had problems initially, but now he really loved his dog and would not give him to Abby.

Tim nodded. Yup, that about covered it.

He frowned. Had he missed something in Abby's behavior recently? Aside from this morning, had Abby been un-Abby?

"PROBIE!"

Tim jumped slightly and looked at the senior field agent, blinking owlishly. "Huh?"

"Dead lieutenant with high security clearance. Heavily encrypted files on her computer that could be very juicy. Oh, and her equally dead husband. Remember? Man, where are you today? The Boss is gonna kill us if we're not at our desks working in the next five minutes!"

Tim hurried out of the truck and up to the bullpen while Tony and Ziva carted the evidence down to Abby's lab. He'd been thinking so hard about this morning, he'd been barely paying attention to what was going on around him at the crime scene, and really didn't remember the ride back. He didn't even remember checking the computer at the scene, oops.

At least he had the photos in his backpack that he could put up on the plasma, so he wouldn't look completely lost.

By the time he got the photos uploaded to his computer, and brought up the lieutenant's records up on the screen, Tony and Ziva were back in the bullpen, and had begun tossing around theories. Forcing his frustrations with Abby to the back of his mind in order to concentrate on his job, Tim gave his full focus to his team, listening and paying attention and thinking all at once until he came up with something that he would interject with.

Gibbs decided they needed more info on the husband, who currently looked like the initial target, even if his records were clean on the surface.

"But McGee, I still want you to break the encryption on those files. I want to know what's in them and if they could tie into our case. There's a reason the lieutenant's time of death is a good forty minutes before her husband."

Tim nodded, and sighed inwardly. He wasn't looking forward to working in Abby's lab after this morning, but his job required it of him, so he would do it.

As he stepped into Abby's lab for the second time that day, Tim noticed that her music was louder than normal, and Abby seemed to be slumped at her workbench as she applied dyes and other chemicals to fiber and hair samples getting ready to be tested. He was surprised, since even in a bad mood, Abby's posture while working was usually erect and alert.

Tim figured it was too much to ask for, but maybe she realized she'd acted wrongly this morning. It would be best for her to come out and say it herself, though.

"Abby!" he called out over the music. She looked up at him, a distracted expression on her face.

"Where's the lieutenant's computer? I need to start working on cracking that encryption."

She frowned a bit at him, and Tim figured she was a bit disappointed that he was simply sticking to business today. Well, this stiffness between them was all her fault to begin with, thanks to her antics this morning. He wasn't going to put up with more when he had work to do, and especially not when there was a good chance they wouldn't be leaving until very, very late tonight, possibly not at all, if the two unopened boxes underneath the workbench were any indication.

He was surprised to see her eyes flash at him in anger as she silently pointed to her office. Tim rolled his eyes and walked to her office, where the lieutenant's computer tower sat on her desk, waiting to be taken apart so the hard drive could be mirrored onto one of the more powerful lab computers.

She was being insufferable! She had no reason to be angry with him! If anything, he should be angry with her!

But while Tim was annoyed with her, frustrated with her, he was also sure there was an underlying reason for Abby's peculiar behavior today. Because when Abby was being un-Abby, then there was something wrong on her end.

And he couldn't be angry with her if there was something wrong, because it usually meant she wasn't being herself, even if she tried to be.

And in true Abby fashion, she probably didn't even realize that she was acting odd where everyone else was concerned.

But Abby hadn't said anything to Tim.

Could she be denying an issue? That seemed like something Abby would do.

Tim thought back over the last few months, trying to think if anthing weird had happened that could still be upsetting Abby now.

Oh. _That trip._

But Abby had been debriefed when she came back to DC, hadn't she?

Tim frowned as he worked through the layers of encryption in front of him, his mind still wandering in circles.

If what happened on that trip to L.A. was what was causing Abby to act so oddly today, why had he never noticed anything wrong before now? Had she just been able to hide it that well?

But surely Gibbs would have noticed, right? Gibbs knew everything! And Gibbs hadn't let them know that something was wrong with Abby.

So maybe Gibbs didn't know? Or did, but was waiting for her to come to him. Hmm, that was a plausible theory.

Tim sighed, and glanced at his watch as his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten anything since that delicious breakfast-bribe, and now it was nearly five in the evening. Maybe he could head up to the break room and grab a quick snack from the vending machine?

He glanced out into the lab, and found it empty. Abby must have gone to take a break or something.

Making a quick decision, Tim got on the elevator, and took it up to the floor above the bullpen, where the break room was located. He picked his snack (Nutter Butters, yum) and a drink, and hopped back onto the elevator and headed back to the lab to get back to work.

He had plenty of practice eating and typing at the same time thanks to his years at MIT, after all.

Having pushed his problems with Abby away for the time being, Tim concentrated on the code in front of him, deciding he really didn't want to be at work all night if he didn't have to be. Six hours later, it was near midnight, but he had broken the encryption.

Going through the files (Tony was right—these were juicy and treasonous), he downloaded them onto a flash drive, and closed down the workstation he was using in Abby's office as he prepared to head upstairs to his desk.

He frowned, realizing for the first time that day that Abby hadn't interrupted him once while he was working. Tim couldn't help but feel a little disheartened by it, but wasn't sure what to do. Abby was in the wrong this morning, even if she was actually bugged about something else. And she was staying mum on the latter anyway, so he couldn't even broach the subject, even if his hunch seemed like a pretty good one.

Abby-logic had never been linear (except where science and forensics were concerned), and if she thought it was logical to give him the silent treatment for not agreeing to give Jethro to her when he was valid in doing so, then Tim didn't have a choice but to wait for Abby to come to her senses.

Shaking his head, and realizing just how tired and sore he was after sitting in one position staring at a computer screen, Tim made his way out into Abby's lab with the intention of getting the flash drive up to the bull pen and himself out the door and on his way home.

So he was momentarily surprised to see Abby slumped at her workstation, her head resting on her folded arms, and her eyes closed in sleep.

And from what Tim could see, whatever Abby was dreaming wasn't peaceful or pleasant.

0  
0

_She's standing at her work station in her lab, analyzing the results Major Mass Spec spat out at her._

_Suddenly, the lights go out, and gradually, the hum of her machines fades into nothing._

_All she sees is the play of shadows with the faint light of street lamps streaming through her lab windows._

_Her heart pounds in fear as she suddenly hears the scrape of shoes on her lab floor, except that the sound is more like boots scraping against the asphalt of a parking lot. Warm, moist air ghosts over her right ear and the back of her neck._

_"Abby…"_

_No, no he can't be here. He's not in DC. He's dead, he's dead, he's dead. Callen and Sam killed him. She saw the bullets rip through him in that warehouse._

_"Abby…"_

_But then she feels an arm wrap around her neck, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth, and as she tries to scream around it, a sharp needle pricks into the muscle between her shoulder and her neck._

_"I've got you…"_

_She's screaming in her head that this isn't happening again, not in her lab God dammit, as her body becomes immobilized dead weight and she falls away from the world._

Abby's eyes snapped open, her breath coming in quick gasps as she realized that she was being restrained.

Someone was holding her.

No, no he'd found her. How could he have found her?

"Let go! Let me go!"

"Abby! Abby, calm down! It's just me!"

"No, no, no. Not again."

The arms tightened around her.

"Shh. It's all right. You're all right, Abby. Shh."

The voice speaking to her was calm and warm, not like that monster who haunted her sleep. The voice kept talking to her, its tone soothing, and Abby became aware of a gentle hand rubbing up and down her back, of her cheek pressed against a warm body. Slowly, she relaxed into whoever was holding her, not acknowledging the fact that she was still trembling.

"Shh. Everything's all right now. Just breathe, Abby." Abby sighed deeply, feeling drained and exhausted and like her nerves were on edge, but taking comfort in the voice that sounded so very familiar.

Actually, the voice sounded like… "Timmy?"

The arms tightened around her just a smidge. "Yeah, it's me."

Abby settled more deeply into his comforting embrace, and they stayed that way for quite some time until she finally felt coherent enough to pull away from him.

As she separated from Tim's hold, Abby looked around and slowly came to the realization that they were kneeling on the floor below her work station. Her brow furrowing in confusion, Abby tried to remember how she ended up on the floor in the first place.

"What happened? The last thing I remember was looking over a test result from one of the fiber samples," she murmured as she rubbed her temple gently. Man, she could feel a massive headache coming on, most likely due to her lack of sleep recently.

"You fell asleep at your desk," Tim told her as she focused on him again. "You were having a nightmare from what I could tell. I tried waking you up from it by calling your name a couple times. And when you woke up, you were still sort of half asleep and fell off your stool. You probably would have hit your head on the desk if I hadn't caught you. Once you fully woke up, you were in a such a blind panic that I had to keep holding you to make sure you didn't hurt yourself trying to get away from…"

Abby watched as Tim suddenly fell silent, and felt her stomach drop into her feet.

"You know," she whispered.

Tim sighed, and nodded back at her. "Yeah. I figured it out this afternoon. I just didn't know how to bring it up."

Abby swallowed, and got to her feet quickly. She looked desperately around her lab, looking for something to do to make herself busy, to not have to talk about her little problem.

Abby did her best to change the subject before Tim could ask the question she knew was coming. "Thanks for what you did back there, but what are you doing here so late still?"

She ignored his mildly annoyed "you're not getting out of this" look. "How long have you been having nightmares about L.A., Abs?"

Abby grabbed the Caff-Pow! sitting next to her mouse and took a large gulp of the caffeinated beverage, and grimaced at the flat taste of the no longer carbonated drink.

"Abby…"

"Please just drop it, McGee."

She could see him fold his arms over his chest from the corner of her eye as she turned back to her computer screen. Abby could only imagine the expression on his face—his jaw set, eyes narrowed slightly, lips drawn in a line.

It was his game face, and Abby knew he was getting ready to show her just how stubborn he could be. (He could almost give Gibbs a run for his money.)

"Abby, I want to help you. But I can't if you don't talk to me."

Abby bit her lip while she kept her back to him. No, no, she couldn't give in. This was her problem. She could fix it, she could!

She felt his hand on her shoulder, and as he turned her around, Abby continued to worry her lip and kept her eyes focused on the buttons and pinstripes of his navy blue shirt.

"Abby, look at me. Please?"

She sighed. He was so hard to fight when he used that tone of voice, the one that made her feel warm and cared for.

Abby looked up at him, and saw the worry swirling in Tim's eyes. He was searching her face, as if looking for something.

And then she saw…guilt? Why was he guilty?

"I'm sorry. You're my best friend. I should have noticed something was wrong," he said, his tone sincere.

As his words washed over her, Abby felt guilt settle on to her shoulders like a weight. She hated when she made her friends worry about her. And she hated even more what she'd done to him this morning.

Sighing once more, Abby stepped forward, and leaned into Tim for a hug. Immediately, his arms came around her, and settled around her waist and back, holding her close and making her feel protected and safe.

"How long?" he asked again, his voice soft in her ear as she settled her cheek against his shoulder.

"I don't know," she confessed. "On and off for the last six weeks or so?"

She felt Tim tighten his arms around her, encouraging her to keep talking. "It was okay at first, and my debrief was totally fine. I didn't even get some sort of recommendation to continue seeing someone. But then…I don't know. I just started dreaming about it, and it was usually just going through what happened in the warehouse. Then after awhile, things started changing. The drug wouldn't wear off, or he'd make it out alive, or…" Abby trailed off her muffled admission, unable to finish.

"Or?" Tim prompted, and Abby swallowed hard.

"Or…" She took a shaky breath, the soothing scent of Tim's cologne wafting up her nose. "Or he'd kill me."

Abby leaned back and looked up at him again, still staying close, with Tim's arms still wrapped around her in a loose hug. "That's why I wanted to adopt Jethro from you. The…dreams wake me up screaming and really, really not in my head, and I thought he could keep me safe. He'd keep me company and I'd be able to go to sleep again."

She could feel her lack of sleep over the last several days finally catching up to her, and her eyes stung a bit as her vision suddenly became blurry. "I'm sorry about what I did today. I know I don't have the right to ask for him back. But I'm just so damn tired, Tim, and I don't know what else to do. I'm tired of that creep waking me up in the middle of the night, of not being able to sleep after. I'm tired of being scared of the dark like some little kid, because I think he's going to come out and get me even though I know he's dead as dead can be. I just want a good night's sleep. Is that too hard to ask for?"

Abby felt herself being pulled into a tight hug again as some of her tears finally spilled over her lashes and into the fabric of Tim's beige suit jacket.

They stayed that way for quite some time, Abby simply letting Tim hold her as he rubbed soothing circles on her back and whispered calming things into her ear.

Abby finally reluctantly let go of Tim, feeling drained.

"Come on, I'll walk you out," he told her quietly, putting a gentle hand on her lower back, and Abby nodded.

"Let me just shut everything down. There's no use staying here overnight if I don't have to." Slipping away from Tim, Abby began saving her work and shutting down her machines for the night.

As Major Mass Spec stopped humming and went to sleep, Abby turned to Tim, biting her lip for just a second before asking him, "Tim? Can I stay with you tonight?"

She watched as he began to smile. "You're always welcome at my place, Abs. And I'm sure Jethro would love to see you too."

After switching off the lights, and locking the lab door, Abby and Tim slipped onto the elevator, and Tim pushed the button for the garage. Abby watched him, and could see he had something he wanted to say. She nudged him with her elbow, and when he looked at her, she gave him a smile.

"Something on your mind?"

He smiled back and shook his head. "Just…um..."

"What is it, Tim?"

He paused, before flipping the emergency stop. Abby looked at him, already guessing what he was going to say when his expression turned serious again.

"Abby…"

"Don't say it, McGee."

"Abby, not talking about it is doing you more harm than good!"

Abby vigorously shook her head. "No. No, I'm not crazy. I'm just having trouble sleeping, that's it!"

She felt Tim's hands on her shoulders again, turning her towards him. "Abby, I'm not calling you crazy. I'm just asking you to talk to someone. It doesn't have to be a shrink. Just…tell someone what happened out there, about your dreams. I'm sure Ducky or Gibbs would be happy to listen to you."

She felt his fingertips on her chin as he tilted her head up so she could meet his gaze. "And you know my door's always open. _Always._ Call me at three in the morning, even. Just please talk to someone, because I can't bear to see you not being yourself like today."

Abby locked her gaze on his eyes, and saw the sincerity and care infused in his words swimming there in his irises.

She gave him a small smile, stepped away from him and flipped turned the elevator back on. "Okay. I'll talk to someone."

The rest of the ride down to the garage was filled with a comfortable silence, and as they stepped off the elevator, Abby felt Tim's arm wrap around her waist as he escorted her to his car.

As they settled in for the drive to Tim's new place, Abby watched as Tim turned to her with a smile.

"And I was thinking…if you want, you can borrow Jethro as a roommate for awhile until we can find a dog for you, or you feel like you don't need one to help you sleep, whichever comes first. Deal?"

Abby grinned, and leaned across the console between their seats to wrap Tim in a tight hug. "Deal!"

That night, Abby slept peacefully for the first time in days without a nightmare, Tim's reassuring presence wrapped around her along with his blankets.

**-/END/-**


End file.
